Apr. 23, 2013

While on his latest trade mission last week, Mayor Greg Ballard told the Times of India that, 'When people around the world think of cricket, I want them to think of Indianapolis.' / Charlie Nye / The Star

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It's not that I don't support Mayor Greg Ballard’s push to welcome global visitors to the city. It's not that I oppose efforts to make sure that Indianapolis better reflects its growing diversity. And it's not that I have a problem with the sport of cricket — though I had to Google it Tuesday to figure out exactly what it was and, admittedly, I still don’t get it.

But $5.8 million?

That's the pricetag that has been attached to the mayor's cricket obsession, which is taking the form of a burgeoning sports complex on the Far Eastside. It’s the latest fallout from the mayor’s longstanding wish to see Indianapolis manufacture a more international flair. (Remember his first-term dream to build a Chinatown?)

Yes, while you might want your mayor to obsess over ways to encourage and lure new high-tech firms and life sciences companies, he sees wonder in a sport that packs stadiums — in India and Australia, at least. Last week, while on his latest trade mission, Ballard told the Times of India that, “When people around the world think of cricket, I want them to think of Indianapolis.”

Oh, my.

I’m not sure that will make for a particularly effective campaign slogan come re-election time. It makes you wonder if Ballard is seeing visions of cricket stars of yore on the empty 50-acre site. Because while his people insist this is a rational and visionary idea, it sounds more like a straight-to-DVD sequel to “Field of Dreams.”

It should be noted that the $5.8 million is coming out of the city’s Rebuild Indy fund, which was generated by the sale of the water company and intended to address decades of infrastructure backlogs throughout the city. Much of that backlog remains in the form of decaying roads and missing sidewalks. Still, along comes a cricket idea.

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It’s not an inherently bad idea; it’s admirable that the mayor is trying to find ways to make his city more international and interesting. But he’s tossing a bunch of cash at a cricket fantasy while the suburbs are tossing their cash at things for which there is a very real demand and a very real potential payoff. Consider that Indy is investing in cricket while Carmel lures more and more concerts and arts programs to its Center for the Performing Arts. Indy is banking on cricket while Westfield touts a massive soccer complex aimed at the tens of thousands of Indiana kids and adults who play that sport.

Of course, there’s also the question of how best to spend government money. Let’s think of what the city could do with $5.8 million.

There are public art projects that would help Indianapolis catch up with other cities while giving conventioneers something to talk and Tweet about during their visits. Or Deputy Mayor Jason Kloth’s vision to build a new generation of education choices. Or new police for the understaffed department. Or the many existing parks that could use some attention. Or an incubator fund for innovative start-up businesses.

Or, yes, on the basic infrastructure needs facing every neighborhood in the city.

“Conceptually I agree it's smart policy to invest in amenities that will attract international visitors,” Councilman John Barth told me Tuesday. “But if you walk down any block in Indianapolis and ask residents if they want Rebuild Indy money spent on streets and sidewalks, or on a cricket stadium, it's not even close.”

The cricket idea points to a bigger problem for the mayor: the increasing disconnect between him and the city since he won a second term in 2011. He doesn’t meet with council members who determine the fate of his proposals. He delegates just about everything, showing almost zero interest in selling his ideas or playing the hardball brand of politics that gets things done. And in the closing weeks of a crucial state legislative session — one that has high stakes for Indianapolis — he jetted off to India to talk about cricket. That’s either a sign that he has no interest in the big debates at the Statehouse, or no sway with his fellow Republicans who run it.

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Perhaps the mayor should have delegated his cricket idea and worked a little harder this year building support for mass transit or on getting a bigger share of state transportation dollars. Someone close to him needs to remind him that politicians who lose touch with their voters, and their voters’ concerns, pay a steep price.

In the past year, Ballard has taken official trips to Australia, China, Britain, Germany and now India. And, as has been reported, the trade missions have produced nothing for the city. Meanwhile, the city has produced no study, document or data to suggest a demand for a cricket complex or a longterm benefit to this investment. This is the definition of a flight of fancy.

Still, the Times of India offered Ballard a platform to pitch his cricket idea last week. And while this might have pleased the mayor, I imagine cities whose mayors spend their time overseas talking high-tech and life sciences might ultimately see a better payoff. And I imagine most Indianapolis residents would rather see their infrastructure money spent on roads and sidewalks instead of cricket.